Public comments invited over luxury hangar project at Camarillo Airport

The public is invited to comment on the environmental study and findings for a proposed luxury hangar project at the Camarillo Airport.

Called CloudNine at Camarillo, the project consists of four private commercial hangars and offices at the northeast corner of the airport. It is unknown when construction might start, but the environmental analysis released last month found that no significant concerns would remain once remedial actions were taken.

The study cites half a dozen areas of potential impact on the environment that need to be mitigated. Among the concerns were air quality during construction, protections for nesting birds and soil issues related to liquefaction and settling.

More on the airport:

• High-end hangar complex could replace cars at Camarillo Airport
• Pilots fight county attempt to take over hangars at Camarillo and Oxnard airports
• One person reported dead in Camarillo aircraft crash

The 30-day period for public comment began Oct. 21 and ends Wednesday.  The document may be seen online at https://www.ventura.org/camarillo-projects/.  Copies of the document may also be viewed at the Camarillo Library, 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, and the front counter at the Department of Airports, 555 Airport Way, Suite B, Camarillo.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments to Erin Powers, airport projects manager, no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday at erin.powers@ventura.org or the airport's mailing address: Ventura County Department of Airports, 555 Airport Way, Suite B, Camarillo, CA  93010.

The hangars will be large enough to house the type of business jets that already use the airport, said Nick Martino, vice president of operations at RKR Inc., the Westlake Village firm that proposed the project.

He said interest among potential tenants has been good.

"We have more interested parties than we have hangars," he said.

Last year, the project won a key vote when the Ventura County Board of Supervisors authorized a two-year option agreement for a lease of the county-owned land on which the four hangars would sit. It was described as one of the costliest aviation-related developments ever constructed at the airport in one phase, assuming it materializes. 

The hangars are supposed to be built on a 7-acre site where imported Korean cars had been stored after arriving at the Port of Hueneme. 

Businesses that prep the cars for sale turned to the public airports in Camarillo and Oxnard to handle an overflow of unsold cars before the vehicles were trucked to dealers. The arrangement lasted more than three years as the cars were parked over 40 acres and brought in close to $5 million to the county airports system. 

The cash stream ended last year, reportedly because the carmakers decided to keep less inventory on hand.

Kathleen Wilson covers the Ventura County government, including the county health system, politics and social services. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.